Pad Mad Article By Diva Shah

Period poverty affects women and girls all over the world. Access to sanitary products, safe, hygienic spaces in which to use them, and the right to manage menstruation without shame or stigma, is essential for anyone who menstruates. But for many, this is not a reality. This is not just a potential health risk - it can affect women’s and girls’ education and well-being, changing their lives forever.

Through teaching yoga and dance at a Kenyan slum, Pad Mad’s founder, Madhvi, came to the realization that a lot of the girls are missing school due to period poverty. She began to research the issue of period poverty in Kenya and did some groundwork through traveling and interviewing locals. This prompted her to come up with a solution. This solution is Pad Mad.

Pad Mad is a non-profit organization based in Kenya that works on addressing period poverty by providing a sustainable solution. Menstrual Health Management and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights education are introduced to underprivileged and marginalized communities. Affordable, long-lasting, and sustainable biodegradable products have been created, in a commitment to environmental responsibility. Additionally, the pads are stitched in rural Kenyan communities, using locally produced materials, creating employment for marginalized women who are either HIV positive, single moms, or have suffered any kind of abuse as a woman.

Their mission is to keep as many girls as possible in school, and away from transactional sex; to uplift lives and maintain dignity through improved tools for menstruation and to positively impact the environment through responsible waste management. They are reducing the stigma around periods through educating, enabling, and empowering people on hygiene, menstrual health management, and sexual reproductive health rights. Their focus is to make an impact on women’s health, infection control, education, water and sanitation, the economy, and the environment.

Once the organization had come to the realization that period poverty is not only an issue in Kenya, they launched pilot programs in the UK and in Singapore. The reason that people are neglecting the use of disposable pads isn’t that they can’t afford them, but rather due to the environmental issues that come along with a sanitary pad, as a single pad can take up to 800 years to decompose, and in some brands, there are dioxins which are bad for the environment and human health. Even though it was just released last year, pad mad’s innovation has impacted the lives of many women all over the world. They created a reusable pad that can be decomposed in merely 6 months if it needs to be thrown away. The pad can be bought from their website through a deluxe package, and a tester package. They also distribute them for free in the more rural areas of Kenya.

So far, Pad Mad has helped over 10,000 women in Kenya, and countless others in countries such as Singapore and the UK through their newly established pilot programs. Along with this, Pad Mad reaches the community by running campaigns and partnering with other local projects, such as the Samburu project, raising 10,000 dollars for local girls’ education and access to sanitary wear.

Pad Mad’s ultimate goal shifted as the organization developed. It has gone from diminishing period poverty in Kenya to a more global standpoint: Diminishing period poverty globally by using innovations that focus on the environment as well as women’s menstrual health.

Learn more about them at padmadkenya.com

- Written by Diva Shah. Diva started the Mwangaza Stories, a project where she and her team try to dismantle negative stereotypes about Kenya, and African countries through positive journalism - sharing stories of people who have made a positive impact in their countries. Follow them on Instagram @mwangazastories